66% lelaki Qatar kahwin misyar?!!!

Sixty-six per cent of â€˜Misiyar' marriages in Qatar are a result of men trying to avoid trouble at home with their other wives.

This startling statistic has emerged in a newspaper column written by a Qatari national â€” Ahmad Mohammad Rais Al Kuwari. Writing in Al Sharq, he said: "The women at home are possessive and they will not accept another wife. This is because of jealousy and men want to avoid trouble from bringing the new bride home."

â€˜Misiyar' is a legal marriage according to Islamic law where there is no commitment. Being somewhat controversial, it naturally has its share of supporters and detractors.

Those against it say â€˜Misiyar' creates moral problems and raises social issues. Those in favour say it is after all legal as per Islamic laws so there is nothing wrong with it. In the last five years, the phenomenon has become widespread throughout the GCC states, like Qatar. People are wary of getting married due to the high expenses and social commitments involved.

Ahmad Mohammad says he himself is in favour of â€˜Misiyar' marriages. He wrote: "It does not mean taking away the rights of the woman. A woman in this kind of marriage is not â€˜cheap'. For many, it is either enter into a â€˜Misiyar' marriage or remain unmarried."

He also states: "This concept is not really new in our society. After all, in the past, our forefathers used to travel to different parts of Asia and Africa and got married. They stayed with their wives for a few months then came back."

The writer also raises some pertinent questions. "Would an old, divorced or widowed woman ever enter into an illicit relationship? Most would prefer going in for this form of marriage."He goes on to add that for women 40 and above, a â€˜Misiyar' marriage is suitable. Not so for those in the 20-35 age group. Ahmad Mohammad says that this form of marriage decreases chances of illicit relations.

Qatar, he says, is plagued with the problem of having a large unmarried population. This is not a new issue but is a problem spanning over several generations. "This is a national issue but â€˜Misyar' marriages are a solution to the problem," he concluded.